2018 Volleyball Roster
Sep 12 (Fri)
6 PM
Naghede Abu
- Position:
- Middle Blocker
- Height:
- 6-4
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Riverside, Calif.
- High School:
- Norte Vista
Mahoney on Abu
“Naghede is one of the most physically dominant middle blockers in the Pac-12 and she continues to work to expand her game. Always a force defensively – we expect her to carry more of an offensive load in her senior season.”
As a Junior in 2017
Abu had another outstanding season for the Buffaloes, starting in all 34 matches and proving to be a dominant force at the net. She led the team in blocks (153), which ranked 27th in the NCAA. With this number she tied her own CU rally-scoring era single seasons blocks record from 2016. Abu averaged 1.20 blocks per set, which was the sixth best mark in the Pac-12 and 68th in the NCAA. Also an offensive force, Abu recorded the highest hitting percentage on the team (.344), which was fifth best in the Pac-12. As a Junior, Abu was once again selected to the Omni Invitational All-Tournament Team after hitting .489 percent with 24 kills and just two errors on 45 attacks. She also added 1.11 blocks per set. Abu also had an outstanding performance in the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge where she hit a team best (.516) with 20 kills and four errors on 31 attacks. Abu was named the Pac-12 Defensive player of the week after helping the Buffs defeat both Oregon State and Oregon. In the upset over then-No.12 Oregon, Abu recorded 11 kills and eight blocks. This is the second time in her career that she was recognized by the conference for her outstanding defensive efforts. For the second year in a row, Abu was an All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention selection. She was also named the NCAA First & Second Round Most Outstanding Player (Baylor bracket). Off the court, Abu has an incredible academic performance, earning Academic All-Pac-12 honorable mention. She recorded 268 kills with 153 blocks (19 solos and 134 assists) for 354 points.
As a Sophomore in 2016
Abu had a breakout sophomore season, starting in all 30 matches. She was sixth in the Pac-12 in blocks per set (1.26), which was 53rd in the NCAA. Abu averaged 1.69 kills per set while attacking at the ninth best mark in the Pac-12 (.323). In just the second match of the season, she tied a CU record with 15 blocks against Portland State. The 15 blocks (in a single match) was tied for second in the NCAA this season and led the Pac-12. Abu set CU’s rally-scoring era single season blocks record with 153, surpassing the former record by two (151). During the season, Abu was named the CU Athlete of the Week twice, was selected to the Omni Invitational All-Tournament Team and was honored as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Buffs upset then-No. 13 Penn State and then-No. 17 Illinois at the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge with 1.20 blocks per set. In the match against PSU, Abu recorded nine kills and six blocks. The following night she recorded 13 kills and four blocks against UI. Offensively during the 2016 campaign, Abu recorded 10 or more kills in four matches and hit .400 or above 12 times. Abu led the Buffs in blocks 21 times this season and was one of three Buffs to play in all 121 sets. An All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection, Abu recorded 205 kills and hit .323 while adding 153 blocks (15 solo and 138 assists) for 289.0 points.
As a Freshman in 2015
Abu was a force at the net for the Buffs in her freshman campaign, ranking eighth in the Pac-12 in blocks with 1.20 per set, which was 64th in the NCAA. Abu posted 142 total blocks, 15 solo and 127 assists, which broke CU’s freshman season record and is tied for the sixth best single season in Colorado history. In conference only matches, Abu averaged 1.28 blocks per set, which was third in the league. An Omni Invitational All-Tournament Team selection, she recorded a season best 10 kills and just one error on 12 attacks against Weber State (9/18), to hit .750, which tied the 13th best hitting percentage in CU history. Abu was the first CU freshman to earn Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors after she averaged 1.50 blocks per set as CU defeated Cal and Stanford. The following week, Abu posted 2.25 blocks per set (18 blocks in eight sets), which included a career best 11 at Arizona (10/23). The following night against Arizona State (10/23), Abu posted seven total blocks, five solos and two assists. Abu played in 31 of 32 matches for the Buffs, earning 29 starts. She was named a Pac-12 All-Freshman honorable mention selection after recording 139 kills and 142 blocks while hitting .254 in 2015.
High School
Abu didn’t start playing competitive volleyball until her junior year of high school, but she has excelled quickly. She earned all-league honors while averaging 3.2 kills and 1.02 blocks per set as a junior. She tallied a school record of 30 kills in a match against Kaiser High School in 2014.
She also played for Rancho Valley Volleyball Club in San Bernardino, Calif. for coaches Danny Scott and Kim Cherniss. Her team competed at USAV Girls Junior National Championship in the 18 Open Division and placed 16th overall. The squad also won the bronze medal at the SCVA qualifier in Los Angeles and a silver medal at the annual Las Vegas Classic, one of the premier tournaments in the country.
The accomplished multi-sport athlete also competed in basketball and track and field at NVHS. A star on the on the basketball court, Abu led the conference in points, rebounds and blocks as a sophomore and junior. She earned four letters on the team and also earned a letter as a long and high jumper on the track and field team. New Mexico State, UCLA, UC Davis and TCU are among many other schools that also recruited Abu.
Personal
Naghede Abu was born on May 13, 1997 in Benin, Nigeria. She is the daughter of Ehiozogie Idahosa and has two siblings, Omoregie Abu and Etin Okaundaye. She was raised in Nigeria, but her family moved to the United States when she was 14. Abu can speak three languages and loves to cook.
Academics
Abu is a business administration major with an emphasis in finance and accounting and is pursuing a minor in leadership studies. She owns a GPA greater than 3.20, which earned her a spot on the Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention team in 2016 and ‘17. She is a member of the National Honor Society and was named a scholar athlete as a sophomore in high school. Abu was her class valedictorian her sophomore, junior and senior years.
